Fitur Donasi sebagai Medium Komunikasi Pemasaran UMKM: Studi Kasus Live Streaming Marapthon pada Kanal YouTube YB (@ybrap)

Abstract

YouTube live streaming has created a synchronous communication space in which Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) repurpose the paid donation feature (Super Chat) as a promotional channel. This study examines how MSME owners use the donation feature as a marketing communication strategy, how they construct promotional messages, and how interaction among MSME owners, the streamer, and the audience unfolds in the Marapthon live stream on the YB YouTube channel (@ybrap). Using a qualitative intrinsic case study, data were collected through non-participant observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews with five MSME owners and three active viewers, and were analyzed through the lenses of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and the attention economy. The findings show that MSME owners treat a minimum-value donation as a low-cost way to buy a chance at visibility, timing it to moments when the streamer is idle or reading donations aloud. Messages are compressed into brief, informal units containing the brand, product, price, location, and social media account. Attention is produced through a triadic chain in which the streamer’s on-air reading acts as the decisive amplifier, while product relevance and geographic proximity determine whether viewers follow up through searches, direct messages, visits, or purchases. The study concludes that the donation feature has shifted from a monetization tool into a participatory, yet probabilistic and short-lived, marketing communication medium for MSMEs. Its effects on sales were not measured.